This is why we are hockey fans.

Monday night was a game for the ages, and if you do not believe that, consider the names of Bobby Baun and Babe Ruth were invoked sometime around the second or third overtime.

Pittsburgh defenseman Sergei Gonchar left the game early with an upper-body injury -- and this time, it really looked like the entire upper body -- after crashing hard into the end boards. Late, and I mean late in every sense of the word, in the overtime periods, Gonchar returned to the bench to provide moral support.

Then came the power play after a high-sticking double minor to Jiri Hudler. Gonchar took to the ice, playing his familiar point position. Watching Gonchar was reminiscient of Bobby Baun, who scored the overtime winner in game six of the 1964 Stanley Cup while playing on a broken ankle. 

In the modern case, Gonchar had an opportunity to shoot early in the power play, but it was clear he could not shoot. No problem, when you have Petr Sykora on the same unit.

While on the bench late in the second overtime, Sykora turned to NBC's Pierre McGuire, pointed to himself and said he would score the winning goal.

There are debates as to whether Babe Ruth ever called his shot, but the lore lives on. Today, Sykora becomes part of that lore.

This would be amazing stuff, incredible theater, if it was any old playoff game. But it was far more than that. The Detroit faithful came to coronate the new Stanley Cup Champions, and it nearly happened. Detroit led three games to one coming in, and Joe Louis Arena rocked like it has not in years.

The first period was an unmitigated disaster for the home side. Plagued by nervousness and giveaways, the Wings found themselves down 2-0 after the opening period, a period that might have been their worst of the playoffs.

Detroit opened it up in the second period, but could only find the back of the net once. Heading into the third period, the Wings found themselves trailing by a goal, so they opened the game up even further.

And it worked. At 6:43, Pavel Datsyuk executed a perfect tip off an amazing fake shot-turned-pass from Henrik Zetterberg to tie the game. And when Wyandotte, Mich., native Brian Rafalski gave the Wings the lead midway through the period, the party had started.

Hometown boy becomes a superstar, returns home a decade later, then scores the Stanley Cup winning goal. It seemed the script was too good to be true.

Apparently, it was.

Nobody in the Joe sat through the period's closing minutes, and the Wings were playing to perfection. Pittsburgh was getting very few chances, there were almost no whistles, and the muggy arena was on the verge of going crazy.

When the public address system played Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" late in the third period, as has become Detroit custom, the crowd continued singing. Considering the song has found new life as the closing song from the final episode of the Sopranos, it only seems fitting Maxime Talbot "whacked" in a loose puck to tie the game with just 35 seconds to go.

It had been roughly 70 years since a team facing elimination tied a Stanley Cup Final game in the closing minute of the game, but that is exactly what happened on this night. A fateful 35 seconds that separated Detroit from hockey glory. The struggles of the auto industry, falling housing prices, and a struggling economy did not matter, as the Wings were about to win their fourth Stanley Cup in just 12 years.

And just like that, it was all taken away. For now, anyway.

Then reality set in. There was still an overtime to be played. And if that failed, there would be two more chances for Detroit to capture hockey's holy grail.

The Wings came out flying in the overtime period, dominating the first overtime stanza. Unfortunately for them, a brick wall named Marc-Andre Fleury was guarding the pipes.

Fleury has been hot and cold through the playoffs, as he has much of his career. To put things in perspective, however, Fleury is just 23 years old. Many of the game's best goaltenders -- names like Dominik Hasek and Johnny Bower -- had not tasted the NHL by that age. For Fleury to be the starter on a Stanley Cup finalist at that age is remarkable.

And remarkable does not begin to describe how he played in overtime. He faced 58 shots in the game -- 24 in the two and a half overtimes -- but stats do not tell the whole story. Particularly in the first overtime, Fleury faced countless top-notch scoring chances, and came up big virtually every time.

By the time the game ended around 1 a.m. Detroit time, the Joe Louis Arena was silent, but far from empty. The city earned the reputation as Hockeytown for a reason -- the fans were still there. Whether or not anyone was there -- at work, that is -- at 8 a.m. Tuesday is another matter entirely.

But they all know where they will be at 8 p.m. Wednesday -- in front of a television, in a bar, or in the Mellon Arena. In a series where each game has been more entertaining than the previous, perhaps there should be a petition to extend this series to a best-of-nine.

Failing that, it would be advisable to tune in Wednesday night. Monday's game five got an impressive 4.3 rating/8 share on NBC, and it would seem almost guaranteed all of those people will tune back in for game six.

Tiger Woods may say nobody cares about hockey anymore, but the numbers indicate otherwise. And after all, when is the last time you saw sports bars packed with fans cheering on their favorite golfers?

I thought so.

And in this series, even in Los Angeles, this has been big enough to be on the 100-inch big screens, as well as every television in the bar. At least, that is the way it was at the packed bar I was at for game four Saturday night.

This series is living up to expectations, and with any luck, fans in non-traditional markets will finally discover what the rest of us have known for years. When played at its best, hockey provides excitement, passion, and intrigue not provided by much else on this planet.

Seven games, decided by one goal in double overtime. And even then, it could go either way.

Yes, that is the prevailing thought for this year's Stanley Cup Finals between Detroit and Pittsburgh. Through three rounds, the Wings have lost just four games while the Penguins have just two defeats.

Two great teams that would be great teams at any point in the league's history. It is a dream Stanley Cup Finals for the league's marketing types, and a seven game series would only make it better.

Not so quick. History shows us young teams on a roll do not always fare well when playing for hockey's holy grail. Remember the 1983 Edmonton Oilers? They lost just once through the first three rounds, and they were a young team led by superstars such as Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Jari Kurri.

Then they ran into the league's reigning dynasty, the New York Islanders. The Isles may have been considered a bunch of graybeards, but those graybeards swept the youngsters in four games.

The parallels to this series are stunning. Sidney Crosby, annointed as the next Great One, has lived up to the hyperbole. His leadership on and off the ice is remarkable for a 20-year-old. At the media availability day Friday, he spoke like a 25-year veteran.

In other words, he sounded like Chris Chelios.

Just kidding -- but Crosby is a 30-year-old in a 20-year-old's body, and that could present some problems for Detroit. He is not easily rattled on or off the ice, he stays composed yet plays with passion, and he can elude even the best defensemen.

Well, we think the last part is the case. Crosby has not faced Nick Lidstrom, the NHL's best defenseman, for nearly two years. And there is a reason Lidstrom has won enough top defenseman awards to change his first name to Norris.

The "silent assassin" goes about his job more quietly than other high profile defensemen, but few question he is the best. Add Brian Rafalski and Nicklas Kronwall to the defensive corps, and the Wings have the personnel to shut down Pittsburgh.

It will be an interesting battle indeed, as the Penguins have three solid lines. Common sense dictates the Wings would like to get the Pavel Datsyuk-Henrik Zetterberg-Tomas Holmstrom line out against the third or fourth line, but that might not be the case.

For Detroit, their top scoring line is also their best checking line. Datsyuk and Zetterberg are Selke candidates, and it could be argued they are the two best defensive forwards in the league. Don't let their offensive prowess fool you -- these two come to play at both ends of the ice.

Look for Detroit coach Mike Babcock to send the trio out against the Evgeni Malkin line, as the Malkin line is more defensively deficient than the Crosby line or the Jordan Staal line. Puck possession is the name of the game for Zetterberg and Datsyuk, and that alone could neutralize one of Pittsburgh's top two lines.

From Pittsburgh's point of view, it would seem their best matchup is to keep the Crosby and Malkin lines away from Zetterberg and Datsyuk. The Penguins' top two lines also thrive on puck possession, and they would be best served to play against anyone other than the league's best puck possession unit.

On the blueline, the Wings have the edge. Sergei Gonchar, Ryan Whitney, and Hal Gill lead a very competent defensive corps, but the Wings might have the best blueliners in the league -- a point that would likely be argued by Anaheim fans.

In goal, Chris Osgood has been Sogood since taking the starting reins midway through the opening round against Nashville. Osgood has Stanley Cup experience and he never seems to try to do too much.

On the other side, Marc-Andre Fleury has been spectacular, showing why he has been touted as a top-notch prospect for the past several seasons. Maybe it is the new white pads, but Fleury has been a rock for the Penguins in the playoffs.

PREDICTION: It is too easy to say this could go either way (and it could), so there has to be a limb on which to step out. Detroit's experience is invaluable at this time of year, and if the Penguins falter early, this could be a short series. Yet that seems unlikely -- the young Pens simply seem too composed.  Stanley Cups will find Pittsburgh in coming years, but this year, look for Detroit to win in six.

Relax, Pittsburgh Penguins fans.

Yes, it has only been three weeks since the hockey world thought the Penguins were unquestionably destined for Kansas City. At that time, it seemed only a superhero could save hockey in Pittsburgh.

Of course, there is a reason they call him Super Mario.

A week after Mario Lemieux met with a Kansas City contingent regarding the relocation of the Penguins to Missouri, it appears the Penguins will be staying put in Pittsburgh.

No, nothing is done yet. But Lemieux has had two meetings with city and state officials, and all reports say things have gone well. The key bit of information, however, comes from Phil Esposito.

As most hockey fans know, Esposito is extremely connected in the hockey world. He has done it all -- he was a hall of fame player and followed that career with a wide variety of jobs, including team founder, coach, general manager, broadcaster... you get the point.

So when Esposito reported on Home Ice XM 204 Wednesday morning that the Pens look destined to say in Pittsburgh, it has more than a bit of validity. Esposito said an acceptable deal could be in position from the regional governments as soon as the coming weeks. He also said the team does not appear to be currently for sale, speculating Lemieux would wait until the arena deal is done before putting the team back on the market.

If Esposito's credentials are not enough for you to believe, consider he is a good friend of one of the team's potential suitors. Frank D'Angelo of Toronto's Steelback Brewery threw his name into the hat last month, even appearing on Esposito's In the Slot radio show to discuss his interest.

In other words, if Espo says this will likely happen, it will likely happen.

The NHL could not be happier to hear this news, as Pittsburgh is a much-needed true hockey market. While the media tries to convince Americans nobody watches hockey anymore, Pittsburgh functions much more like a Canadian market. The newspaper coverage is outstanding, the television and radio coverage is high quality, and the Penguins are a part of the city's culture. Local television ratings are among the highest of all U.S.-based teams.

Nobody is saying Kansas City, or any other market, could not work. However, it would be a risk. Kansas City has seen failed NHL, IHL, and UHL teams over the past 30 years, and the city has not seen the explosive growth of other second-run markets such as Denver, Atlanta, or even the Twin Cities.

Despite that, Kansas City might get their shot at an NHL team yet. The interest of several markets including Oklahoma City, Portland, Houston, and Southern Ontario has prompted more talk about NHL expansion.

The league is considering realignment for next season that would see two divisions in each conference. With 30 teams, that means one eight team division and one seven team division in each conference. One more team in each conference would seem to make scheduling and playoff matters simpler.

Then, of course, there is the matter of finances. Esposito acquired the expansion Lightning for Tampa Bay in the early 90s, and the price at the time was $50 million. Esposito said he thinks the franchise fee this time could be as high as $200 million. Adding to the owners' interest in expansion is the fact that expansion fees, unlike most revenue, is not split with the players.

Do the quick math -- two teams at $200 million is $400 million. Split 30 ways among the existing owners, that puts about $13 million in the coffers of each existing NHL team. The $13 million goes a long ways to provide financial stability for fledgling franchises -- something that benefits everyone. If the bottom line looks better, expect ticket prices to be more stable. The owners win, the fans win.

And the players win. Two more teams means 46 more jobs, and despite fears of diluting the talent pool, that simply is not the case. When the NHL had 21 teams, the vast majority of players were Canadian. Now, the NHL is roughly one-third European, and another 10-15 percent of players come from the United States most seasons. The number of Canadian players has stayed relatively steady over the past 25 years while new talent pools have been tapped to make up the difference.

In addition, anyone who watches the AHL, major junior, or college hockey knows there is a lot of talent out there. For whatever reason, some players simply fall through the cracks. Look at a player like Dan Cleary -- in a 21-team league, he might have been buried in the minors. In today's game, he found his stride at a later age and is now one of the top scorers on the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings.

The minors are full of Dan Clearys. There are many players who are capable of playing at an NHL caliber who just need to be given a chance. In addition, youth hockey programs are stocked with top-notch coaching, meaning kids are playing the game at a higher level than ever before. As today's kids develop, the NHL should reap the benefits in the coming seasons.

In other words, there is plenty of talent. Losing one or two players from each current NHL roster will not make a huge impact, and those jobs will easily be taken by a more than capable AHLer.

What expansion will do, however, is stabilize the bottom line for existing franchises and introduce two new markets to the game.

And most importantly for those in Pittsburgh, those new markets now look like they will not come at their expense.

It may be the season to be jolly, but for those of you in and around Pittsburgh, it is the season to be angry.

No, do not be angry at Mario Lemieux. He has been Superman for the Penguins in the last two decades. If not for Super Mario's dedication, the Penguins would have been in Portland by the late 1990s. Lemieux has forsaken the money due to him in order to keep the franchise in Pittsburgh more than once, so when he says the team may be forced to move, understand he has exhausted every opportunity.

Do not be angry at the National Hockey League. The NHL desperately wants the Penguins to stay in Pittsburgh.

Do not be angry at your fellow fans. Pittsburgh faithful have repeatedly filled the Igloo night after night.

The frustration should be directed towards the political system that has put the Penguins in this mess. The Pennsylvania state government had a chance to pull the Penguins out of this situation by granting a slot license to Isle of Capri, the organization that pledged to build a $300 million arena for the Pens and the city of Pittsburgh.

Certainly, there are more factors that went into the awarding of the slots license for downtown Pittsburgh, but none of the other bids seemed to do as much good for the city as the Isle of Capri. A $300 million arena for free -- those words bear repeating. No taxpayer money. No team money. No PSLs or increases in ticket prices needed to pay for the new rink.

A $300 million arena to save the NHL's most exciting young franchise. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, and Marc-Andre Fleury are the league's stars of the future. No, scratch that. They are the league's young stars of today. Crosby and Staal are still eligible for this year's World Junior tournament, but instead, they are tearing up the NHL.

The future could not be brighter on the ice, yet there is nothing but doom and gloom in Steeltown this Christmas. The Penguins have been a part of the city's fabric for 40 years, but that may come to an end in spring. The lease at Mellon Arena is up and there is virtually no chance the Pens will stay at the aging facility for any length of time.

When Lemieux admits the team might have to leave Pittsburgh, the city's biggest booster is essentially throwing in the towel. Where the Penguins would go is anyone's guess at this point. Kansas City is a leading candidate -- it is not a traditional hockey market like Pittsburgh, but it does have a new arena. Houston and Winnipeg are not out of the question, although expansion would likely be required on the latter's arena.

The frustrating thing for Pittsburgh residents is none of this had to happen. The ideal solution had been found -- the Isle of Capri was the team's savior.

In a complicating twist, the slots license was awarded by the state and not the city. Pittsburgh lies on the far western side of Pennsylvania, while the majority of the state's population is in Eastern Pennsylvania. Hence, the majority of the state's political power lies far from Pittsburgh.

Nobody is saying things would have definitely worked out different had the decision makers been primarily from the Pittsburgh area, but you have to wonder. Surely Pittsburgh natives would understand how important this issue was to the city, wouldn't they?

We will never know. The decision was made and the Pens have to live with the aftermath. A privately-funded arena is virtually out of the question, as the complicating issue is the fact the Penguins have been for sale for some time. No owner is going to pay $100-200 million for a team and then spend $300 million on a new arena -- it is financial suicide. For that matter, so is staying in the Igloo.

Lemieux said Thursday the team is off the market, an interesting development to the story. Without a doubt, Lemieux will continue to exhaust every possible angle to keep the team in Pittsburgh -- but he has already been doing that for years. Perhaps the dire situation will open up some funding, but that seems like a long shot at this point.

One thing is for sure -- if the Pens leave Pennsylvania, it will not be for lack of effort from Lemieux. As far as the state government goes, well, that is another story.

Pittsburgh may be near coal mining country, but the fans did not expect -- or deserve -- this lump of coal in their stockings.

Star power sells everywhere, but that seems to be especially true in Southern California.

Whether it is Arnold Schwarzenegger, Paris Hilton, Sidney Crosby, or Evgeni Malkin, Southern Californians love celebrities. And in the hockey world, it often seems the high-profile players have a top-notch game when playing in the glitz and glitter of SoCal. Just ask Alex Ovechkin, who recorded his first career hat trick last winter at the then-Arrowhead Pond.

Monday night at the arena now known as Honda Center, Crosby and Malkin did not find a similar fate. The young superstars recorded just one assist each as the hometown Anaheim Ducks defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in overtime.

The Ducks picked up a point for the 15th consecutive game to start the season, tying the record set by the 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers. Under the rules of that era, the Ducks actually have one loss -- an overtime defeat to the New York Rangers -- but there is no denying Anaheim is on a roll.

Through much of the first fourteen games, the Ducks relied on a strong power play for their offense. Yet on Monday, the Ducks scored just once in eight power play opportunities in regulation time.

Fast forward to overtime, and Pittsburgh's Noah Welch was issued his third minor of the night -- this time for tripping -- just 21 seconds into overtime. Anaheim's Teemu Selanne tripped on the Welch's stick in a clearly inadvertent play, but at the same time, the trip did prevent a possible scoring chance.

On the ensuing power play, Scott Niedermayer made a perfect pass across the crease to Selanne, who was driving to the left side of the net from the left faceoff circle. Pittsburgh goaltender Jocelyn Thibault had no chance on the play, and the Ducks recorded their 11th win of the season.

Penalties were the theme of the game, as the Penguins found themselves shorthanded nine times and on the power play just twice. Some of the calls seemed to be borderline, but in the so-called new NHL, the standards are still being sorted out.

The Ducks started on the right foot when Chris Kunitz opened the scoring just 3:29 into the opening stanza. Kunitz was stationed at the left side of the slot and did his best Brett Hull impression, going to one knee to one-time a pass from Selanne and beating Thibault to the short side.

Just 21 seconds later, Dominic Moore brought the puck out of the right corner and skated into the low slot, where he deked goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere to tie the game.

Midway through the opening period, the Crosby and Malkin show started to get on track. Crosby impressively won a battle in the left corner and found Malkin inside the left point. Malkin's shot was stopped, but Chris Thorburn was stationed at the left side of the crease and batted home the rebound. The goal was Thorburn's first in the NHL and came almost immediately after being teamed with Crosby and Malkin for the first time.

It looked like a delayed replay when Anaheim's Corey Perry tied the game on the power play midway through the second frame. This time, it was Scott Niedermayer's shot from inside the left point that was stopped by Thibault and Perry who fired home the rebound from the left side of the crease.

The Ducks dominated the game after a slow opening period, outshooting Pittsburgh 40-17 overall and 32-11 after the first 2o minutes. With the Pens spending 14:34 shorthanded, Crosby and Malkin struggled to get ice time for much of the game. By the time it was all said and done, Crosby played 19:29 and Malkin 19:45, but much of that time was spent in the defensive zone as the Ducks again showed an aggressive forecheck.

Thibault was the main reason the Pens escaped with a point, as he was spectacular in just his second appearance of the season. He was inexplicably left out of the three stars, but he could not be faulted on any of the three goals. Even an average goaltending performance would likely have yielded at least six goals to the Ducks, who were firing on all cylinders after the first intermission.

The crowd of 16,599 -- disappointingly short of a sellout by a little more than 500 -- was enthusiastic and featured roughly 3,000 Penguins fans. Many fans were late for the game, as long security lines to enter the arena continue to be a major problem.

THREE STARS: Homerism is a common complaint for three star selections in several arenas, but the problem seems to be amplified in Southern California. Despite scoring two goals -- including the game winner -- Malkin was denied a star last week in Pittsburgh's overtime win at Staples Center.

It was the same story Monday, as Anaheim received all three stars in their overtime win at Honda Center.

As a result, Grimm's Tales will begin doing our own three stars, starting with Monday's game below.

FIRST STAR: Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim. A perfect pass on the overtime winner capped off a solid night at both ends for the blueliner.

SECOND STAR: Jocelyn Thibault, Pittsburgh. Thibault stood on his head to send this game to overtime.